Did Kaepernick’s struggles inspire McCown’s release?

Did rookie Colin Kaepernick’s preseason struggles lead to Josh McCown’s exit from San Francisco?

That’s one way to explain the 49ers’ somewhat surprising decision today to release McCown, a nine-year veteran whose ties with quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst extend to his rookie season in Arizona. McCown’s release was first reported by FOX Sports.

In light of Kaepernick’s underwhelming preseason — no touchdowns, five interceptions, 23.9 rating — there was some thought McCown might assume the second-string duties behind Alex Smith in Week 1. In retrospect, though, Kaepernick’s not-ready-for-prime-time showing might have prompted the Niners to seek out a more capable second-string answer than McCown, 32, who spent last year in the UFL and has thrown six NFL passes since 2007.

It’s also possible McCown was never really in San Francisco’s long-term plans. The Niners, after all, did not seem to be in any rush to evaluate him in the preseason. After he was signed on Aug. 17, McCown appeared in just one of three preseason games, completing 4 of 4 passes for 51 yards on Thursday against San Diego.